Trump Picks New DNI After Pulte Backlash, Dem Party Platner Panic, UFC WH Preview: AM Update 6/12

0:00Sleep is so critical, especially that deep, comforting sleep. But oftentimes, it's hard to find the right mattress for that deep sleep without trying it in person. That's why Helix and Steinhoffels have come together, combining their years of mattress knowledge and technology to bring you your best night's sleep. Helix Sleep's award-winning mattresses are now available to try and purchase at 13 Steinhoffels locations, an in-store opportunity you won't find just anywhere. Plus, Helix and Steinhoffels are offering 20 % off all mattress orders for our listeners. Please visit helixsleep.com to find your nearest location.

0:37Remember to ask a team member about their selection of award-winning Helix Sleep mattresses. Eligible items are in stock and available for free local delivery. That's helixsleep.com to find the store nearest you and ask about Helix Sleep. With Helix and Steinhoffels, better sleep starts now.

0:57Good morning, everyone. I'm Megan Kelly. It's Friday, June 12th, 2026. And this is your AM Update. Why they're willing to jeopardize the lives of millions of Americans to make a political point because they have a disagreement about someone that the president has appointed for a short term position. It is absurd. President Trump nominates a new director of national intelligence after his temporary pick throws the Congress into chaos. People will make everything seem very concerning because that's what people do in politics. Fresh off winning the Democrat primary for U.S. Senate in Maine, scandal-plagued Graham Plattner finds his next fight may not be against Republican incumbent Susan Collins after all, we'll explain.

1:44Minnesota assassin Vance Belter pleading guilty, admitting to shooting two state lawmakers and their spouses. And a last-minute lawsuit tries to stop the historic UFC fight set to take place Sunday on the White House lawn. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update.

2:06Everybody's talking about weight loss injections because the results can be so dramatic. They work by lowering blood sugar and reducing appetite. But what if you're looking to lose weight, but you're not interested in painful weekly injections, especially when you hear about some of those intense side effects. That's why doctors created a weight loss supplement called Lean, and the results could be remarkable. Lean says the studied ingredients in their product have been shown to lower your blood sugar, burn fat by converting it into energy, and curb your appetite and cravings so you are not as hungry.

2:39But listen, Lean is not for the casual dieter with only a few pounds to lose. The doctors at Brickhouse Nutrition created Lean for frustrated dieters with 10 or more pounds to lose. You could get started with 20 % off and free rush shipping, adding lean to your healthy diet and exercise plan. Visit takelean.com and enter MK to get your discount. That's promo code MK at takelean.com. President Trump moving to diffuse a growing backlash over his temporary pick to lead the intelligence community, announcing yesterday a different name, Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan to serve as the next director of National Intelligence, or DNI.

3:22Regarding his new choice, the president posting to Truth Social yesterday that Clayton is, quote, very highly respected, pointing to his work as former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, former head of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, and now U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The nomination, which requires Senate confirmation, coming after more than a week of bipartisan blowback over Mr. Trump's plan to install loyalist Bill Pulte as acting DNI. Unlike Clayton's nomination for the permanent job, Pulte's acting role does not require Senate confirmation. Pulte currently serving as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Mr.

4:01Trump tapping Pulte to temporarily replace outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard, with Pulte expected to assume the acting role on June 19th. 38-year-old Pulte has no intelligence background, and he's used his position to help the president find alleged legal violations by certain political enemies like Letitia James. According to the New York Times, President Trump wants him to use the temporary role to keep cutting down the DNI office after Gabbard already made deep reductions. Democrats fear he'll use it to target them. The DNI position sits at the top of the U.S. intelligence structure coordinating work across 18 agencies, Pulte's appointment quickly triggering alarm from Democrats and some Republicans who question why a housing official with no national security experience would be put in charge of the nation's intelligence community, temporarily or otherwise.

4:55The fight now threatening Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, the surveillance authority allowing U.S. agencies to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant, which is about to expire, and which several lawmakers refuse to extend if Pulte is the one overseeing its use. Democrats warning they would not support an extension unless the White House dropped Pulte. Yesterday, the House rejecting a three-week extension of FISA, 198-218, with 19 Republicans and nearly all Democrats voting no. The rejection especially notable because despite long-running privacy concerns around the program, lawmakers in both parties were prepared to renew it under a compromise deal.

5:42The law now set to expire at the stroke of midnight tonight. The Times noting with the House leaving town for a week and some lawmakers reportedly heading overseas, scheduling another vote before the deadline would be extremely difficult. Speaker Mike Johnson accusing Dems of gambling with national security to pressure the president over Pulte. Is it time for President Trump to pull back his appointment of Bill Pulte and choose somebody else to let this important critical tool be? The president of the United States is fulfilling his responsibility. The president has named someone who would serve for a very short period of time while he seeks a new direction of national intelligence.

6:21The responsibility, the questions are for the Democrats in the House and Senate, why they're willing to jeopardize the lives of millions of Americans to make a political point because they have a disagreement about someone that the president has appointed for a short-term position? It is absurd. There is no way to defend it. And all the questions that everybody in the Capitol Hill press should be chasing every Democrat before they go get on planes and leave, so proud of themselves that they just jeopardize the safety of every American citizen. I pray, I'm going to be praying that we do not have, we do not have an event on our shores.

6:55There will be, there will be a lot to answer for if we do. Democrats argue the president created this problem by nominating Pulte in the first place. The new guy, Jay Clayton's nomination, now potentially giving both sides a way forward. Senate Majority Leader John Thune praising Clayton as, quote, a very qualified professional. Democrat Congressman Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intel Committee, also welcoming the pick, calling Clayton a, quote, terrific choice for DNI. Still, however, for now, the standoff continues and the law is set to expire. The House began its recess yesterday with the next votes not expected until Tuesday, June 23rd.

7:32Speaker Johnson not appearing eager to call lawmakers back early either. Meantime, President Trump yesterday from the Oval standing by Pulte. Do you intend to have Bill Pulte continue to serve as the acting director of national intelligence? And do you think it's unreasonable that some Republicans have concerns that he has no intelligence experience, even if he's serving in this acting role. But he's intelligent, unlike a lot of other people. But do you think that's right here? No intelligence? He's only there for a little while. He's running it for a short while. Well, we get a very talented person, Jake Layton, as you know.

8:05Bill will run it for a short while. He's done a fantastic job. But Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac created tremendous. It's probably worth a trillion dollars now. Trillion. He's done a great job. He's a smart guy. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Democrat, says even if the program lapses, most FISA powers will remain in effect until 2027 thanks to a built-in safety mechanism. Graham Plattner, fresh off winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine Tuesday night, now facing a new set of challengers, Democrats. As Plattner gears up to face five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins in November in a race Democrats widely view as central to their hopes of taking back the Senate, NBC News reporting some Dems are already working behind the scenes to see whether Plattner can be pressured to withdraw before Maine's mid-July deadline to replace him on the ballot.

8:59The concern? Plattner's victory coming after months of damaging revelations. Plattner effectively cruising through the primary after Maine Governor Janet Mills dropped out in April. Early in the campaign, reports surfacing about a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, along with some dicey Reddit posts. Back in January, Plattner telling CNN there was nothing else out there that could damage his campaign. But this month, more stories dropping. First, reports that Plattner sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while he was married. Then, new allegations involving his treatment of women, including one woman accusing him of becoming physically threatening during their relationship.

9:38Plattner denying some of the allegations, including any physical abuse, confirming some other of the messages, but insisting he's not going anywhere. Earlier this week, Plattner asked again on MS Now whether more damaging information could still come out. Okay, so you say there's nothing out there that could be concerning. And this may seem a little bit rich. There's nothing out there that's actually concerning. People will make everything seem very concerning because that's what people do in politics. Not exactly a denial. As Plattner attempts to calm voters and Democrat Party strategists, earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal pressing a senior Plattner strategist, who is straight out of central Democrat casting, as you're about to hear, on how a candidate with this much baggage made it through the vetting process in the first place.

10:34At this point, you hadn't vetted Graham Plattner. You hadn't done a full scrub of who he is. How did you go about vetting him? We paid a nice firm a whole chunk of money and got some stuff back. Some of what you've seen on the news we got back. Other stuff we didn't. Did the vetting process turn up the tattoo that became so controversial? No. The Reddit posts, did that turn up in the vetting process? The firm sent us a thing and it had some of the posts, but it didn't have all of them. And what did you think about that? How did you think your way through the fact that he had posted these things on social media?

11:18I said none of this will or should stop him from becoming a U.S. senator. That answer now feeding into fears inside the Democrat Party. If Plattner's own campaign didn't know the full extent of his baggage before voters did, what exactly might Republicans know? NBC News reporting some Democrats are privately discussing whether Plattner can still be pressured to withdraw before Maine's July 13th deadline. Republicans reportedly watching that same deadline. One unnamed GOP strategist involved in Senate campaigns telling NBC the Republicans may be holding back their opposition research file until after July 13th.

11:57Out of fear, Democrats will, quote, Biden him, a reference to Joe Biden being pushed out of the 2024 race by members of his own party. National Republican groups already starting to capitalize on Plattner's existing scandals in ads. Listen to this one. Susan Collins spent time as a kid picking potatoes in Maine. Graham Plattner spent time as a kid at a$70 ,000 a year prep school in Connecticut. it. Susan Collins doesn't have a Nazi tattoo and she doesn't have an account on a notorious Predators Paradise app. Graham Plattner did for years. And this was his profile picture. Oh, gosh, please, please get that off the screen.

12:38Anyway, Susan Collins, a senator we can be proud of. Despite the internal concern, Plattner adviser Rebecca Katz telling NBC, quote, the Democrats of Maine have made clear who their choice is and the rest of the party should honor that choice. The general election set for November 3rd, but more shoes are sure to drop before then. Coming up, a Minnesota assassin pleads guilty, admitting to a deadly ambush targeting state lawmakers and their families. And a look inside the planning and preparation ahead of Sunday's planned UFC fight on the White House lawn.

13:21Let me tell you something. When you sign your insurance policy for some brokers, that's the finish line. Handshake, commission, done. See ya. Then you may never hear from them again, or at least not until it's time for a renewal when they become your best friend once again. Your business runs all year, and so do the gaps and the risk. And this is why I want to tell you about SuperSure. This is a great idea for a company. If your company has more than 25 employees, whether you're the owner, the CFO, or HR manager, it can be too complex to just buy a policy online. SuperSure is the super agency built for you, licensed in every state for your business insurance and employee benefits with year-round support for you and your team.

14:03At supersure.com, you can access tools like fine print facts, which translates your current policy into plain English so you can see what's covered and what's not. Plus a business value calculator so you can estimate what your business is worth and know what actually needs protecting. Go to supersure.com slash Megan. One super agency, one powerful platform, all of your policies in one place with a super helpful person who wants to make your life easier. Go to supersure.com slash Megan. Paid for by Super Sure Insurance Agency, LLC, a licensed insurance company. Minnesota assassin Vance Belter pleading guilty yesterday to the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses as part of a federal plea deal.

14:52The attacks unfolding in the early morning hours of June 14, 2025. An armed Belter disguising himself as a police officer wearing body armor driving first to the home of Democrat State Senator John Hoffman. Belter knocking repeatedly claiming to be police, then opening fire on Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Both Hoffmans survived life-threatening injuries. As part of his plea, Belter also admitting he attempted to shoot their daughter, Hope. From there, Belter driving to the Brooklyn Park home of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, arriving around the same time police were conducting a welfare check following the Hoffman shooting.

15:36Officers finding Belter outside of the Hortman home near a black Ford Explorer made to look like a police vehicle with police-style lights flashing. Moments later, Belter firing into the home, killing Mark, then rushing inside and fatally shooting Representative Hortman. Belter also shooting the family dog, Gilbert, who later had to be euthanized, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. Belter getting away after opening fire on officers, triggering what officials later described as the largest manhunt in Minnesota history. For about 43 hours, federal, state, and local law enforcement searching for him across Minnesota before finally tracking him to a field in Green Isle about a mile from his family home.

16:19Police searching Belter's SUV, recovering five firearms, including semi-automatic assault-style rifles, a large amount of ammunition, and notebooks listing dozens of Minnesota state and federal elected officials, often with their home addresses. Investigators finding a handwritten letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel in Belter's vehicle. Prosecutors allege that in that letter, Belter admits to the attacks, while also making a series of bizarre claims, including that he had been secretly trained, quote, off the books by the U.S. military and had carried out missions overseas. Belter also claiming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, had approached him about killing Democratic senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

17:05Now nearly one year after the attacks, Belter changing his initial not guilty plea to guilty in federal court after the DOJ agreed not to seek the death penalty. The 58-year-old pleading guilty to all six federal counts against him, including stalking, firearms charges, and a federal statute that makes murder with a firearm an offense that carries a penalty of up to life in prison or death. Under the terms of the plea deal, prosecutors will recommend two consecutive life sentences, followed by another 40 years in prison. The judge approving the deal and calling for an expedited sentencing with the goal of having Belter formally sentenced before the end of July.

17:45The final sentence still up to the court, but the judge indicating he is likely to accept the recommendation, according to CBS News. U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Daniel Rosen, speaking to reporters yesterday. Political violence is a scourge plaguing America in our times. The murders of Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman, shooting of Senator John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman, and the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman, are among the worst political violence crimes that we have seen. Today, the United States achieved the admissions and the agreement necessary for the perpetrator of those crimes to spend the rest of his life in prison without possibility of release.

18:31Those that would commit political violence at any level should take heed. The Department of Justice will seek and obtain the longest prison terms available for your crimes. Belter also facing separate state charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, animal cruelty, and impersonating an officer. A conviction on a first-degree murder count carries a penalty of life without parole. Almost time for fight night at the White House, as UFC Freedom 250 is now just two days away. Set for Sunday, the first ever UFC cage match on the White House soft lawn, kicking off a summer of events marking America's 250th birthday, while also landing on Flag Day and President Trump's 80th birthday.

19:18Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewing the event yesterday with UFC President Dana White. The American 250 celebration belongs to the people of the United States. For them to be able to see this event with their White House in the background as part of our celebration as a country in our 250 years, I think is a gift to the American people. We could have had a band and we have great bands. We could have done a Shakespeare in the Park production. There are a lot of things we could have done with it. But this one will have people watching probably over, what, a billion people all over the world.

19:47A billion people all over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background and some of the best athletes in the world in that octagon. With the octagon already going up and a full weekend of programming planned, a last-minute federal wet blanket lawsuit now trying to stop the whole thing. The lawsuit filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents, arguing the event violates National Park Service rules governing sports events on federal parkland. The plaintiffs also blasting the event itself, arguing it's not really about America's founding, but about President Trump, UFC, and what they call a, quote, hideous spectacle on some of the country's most symbolic public grounds.

20:32Hideous spectacle? Where were they when President Biden had trannies on the White House lawn showing their nude fake breasts? Attorney Brendan Ballou calling it, quote, a corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain. CBS News reporting U.S. District Judge Ahmet Mehta, an Obama appointee, deciding yesterday not to hold a formal hearing on the request to stop the event, but rather saying he will make a determination based on the written court filings. It's unclear when a decision is expected, but the fights begin in just 48 hours. DOJ attorneys firing back, accusing the two plaintiffs of trying to use the courts to, quote, impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country, and, quote, ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America.

21:19In a sworn declaration to the court, White House Management and Administration Director Joshua Fisher laying out just how much is already in motion. Fisher describing a massive multi-day production months in the making with the UFC, federal agencies, security teams, contractors, and outside production crews all involved. The price tag topping$60 million, with the UFC covering, quote, production, labor, construction, and promotion costs, and the feds handling law enforcement, security, emergency services, and medical help. The footprint, enormous. Filings show roughly 4 ,000 guests expected on the South Lawn, plus more than 120 ,000 expected at the Ellipse for a watch party.

22:01CNN reporting the buildout has been underway since May 20th, with 20 to 30 trucks each day bringing in UFC equipment, staging, lighting, and technical gear, all screened before getting onto White House grounds. And then there are the porta-potties. According to CNN's review of planning documents, the National Park Service requiring at least one restroom for every 300 guests. So planning documents call for at least 116 near the Lincoln Memorial and at least 350 more near the Ellipse as crowds pour in across the weekend. The programming begins today, barring a court order, with a UFC press conference and face-offs at the Lincoln Memorial.

22:42Saturday bringing ceremonial weigh-ins, fan events, and a Zac Brown band concert at the Ellipse. Then Sunday night, seven mixed martial arts fights from the White House South Lawn. with President Trump, Melania Trump, and other top officials expected to attend. The event set to conclude with a fireworks show. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megyn Kelly. Join me back here for the MK Show, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at noon east, on youtube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and on all podcast platforms. Today on the show, we will have Jeff Metcalf, the father of Austin Metcalf killed by Carmelo Anthony.

23:23Don't miss that.

23:29The forecast, sunshine with a strong chance of My Mochi ice cream. My Mochi is premium ice cream wrapped in sweet soft dough. It's creamy on the inside and chewy on the outside and comes in joyfully chill flavors like strawberry, mango, and cookies and cream. Every box of My Mochi has six mochis, so it's fun to eat and easy to share all summer long. Grab a purple box of My Mochi ice cream today and taste the joy.